Early surprises as NFL training camps begin

Football is back!

All 32 teams have officially started their training camps. A few teams have been pleasantly surprised by strong performances from their rookies, while other teams have had some unexpected returns from injuries, and some teams have even made last minute trades that just flat-out shocked us all.

Jope springs eternal for all teams as the pre-preseason officially begins, let’s dive into some of the surprises from the start of training camp!

Michael Thomas is back!

(Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports)

New Orleans Saints wide receiver and 2019 AP Offensive Player of the Year Michael Thomas is back! Starting camp, he was on the ‘physically unable to preform (PUP) list, so we assumed that we wouldn’t see him this early into training camp. But today he was getting full reps with the first team.

Having 1,000-yard seasons in his first four years and then only starting five games in 2020, and sitting out 2021, everyone is excited to see what Thomas can bring as he plays along side with rookie Chris Olave and five-time pro bowler Jarvis Landry.

Saquon Barkley impressing early

(Syndication: The Record)

Entering the biggest season of his career, Saquon Barkley makes an impressive one-handed catch in individual drills on the first day of camp.

“I’m excited and it’s going to be a really big year, and I’m just going to go out there and give it my all and try to make everyone proud.” says Barkley.

Barkley has only been healthy for only one season since entering the league in 2018. He’s one of the handful of players to achieve over 2,000 all-purpose yards his rookie NFL season. Starting OTAs, he is the healthiest he has been since his rookie season, and expects to take on a bigger role in the offense this year.

James Robinson not on PUP list

(Syndication: Florida Times-Union)

After James Robinson tore his Achilles tendon in week 16 of the 2021 season, he was expected to make it back on the field around the start of the season. But when the Jacksonville Jaguars started their training camp on Sunday, July 24th, Robinson surprised us all as he came out running sprints and catching passes out of the backfield.

“Says a lot. It’s a good sign,” new Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson recently said of Robinson’s health. “I know, and I’ve seen how hard he’s worked to get himself back this spring, this summer. He was here all summer working with the guys… He’s done a great job to put himself into a position where we don’t have to (put him on PUP). But still be cautious with him and make sure he’s ready when he’s ready.”

Robinson is doing more and more each day and is expected to make a full recovery closer to mid-August. Until then, Travis Etienne will line up with the first team and share snaps with Jarod “Snoop” Conner and Ryquell Armstead out of the backfield.

Robinson is not the first running back to return to the field early after a torn Achilles — Cam Akers of the Los Angeles Rams made his recovery in only five months.

Robinson was an undrafted free agent back in 2020 and took the league by storm rushing for 1,070 yards his rookie year and averaging 76.4 yards per game.

Julio Jones returns to the NFC South

(Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)

Julio Jones is on this list because of the trade to the Buccaneers alone. We were all aware that the Tennessee Titans were listening to trade offers for J,ones but we didn’t expect him to be paired with the greatest quarterback of all time.

Despite playing only 19 games over the last two seasons, he’s one of the few active receivers with over 10,000 yards. So the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should have no problem distributing the ball to him in a rotation with Kyle Rudolph, Chris Godwin and Mike Evans.

Velus Jones Jr. is dominating early

(Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)

As the oldest rookie drafted in 2022, Velus Jones Jr., is showing that age is just a number. He has come out on fire in the first days of Bears camp, connecting with Justin Fields during one-on-one drills.

As I mentioned back in April, Jones was one of the rising stars of the NFL draft after his dominant performance with the University of Tennessee and then standing out at the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

In his final senior season, Jones caught 62 passes for over 800 yards, seven touchdowns and had three games where he had over 100+ receiving yards. He ended the season with 1,722 all-purpose yards, which was third in the SEC conference. The Bears can use all the receiver help they can get right now.

Chiefs activate Clyde Edwards-Helaire

(Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)

On Tuesday, Clyde Edwards-Helaire was placed on the PUP list and then to our surprise, less than 24-hours later he was participating with the team in their first full practice.

Andy Reid also confirmed that Edwards-Helaire was officially off the list.

“Clyde was put on PUP to finish his testing,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid explained. “He practiced today, so we just took him off it.”

This was a strange turn of events as Edwards-Helaire enters his third NFL season. He totaled 1,100 yards from scrimmage his rookie year and then battled injuries, starting only 23 out of a possible 33 games over the last two years. With a completely different Kansas City Chiefs offense this year, Edwards-Helaire will be playing in a prove-it or lose-it year, so making sure he stays healthy is critical.

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